Wow. Well, I was looking for a movie that would hit me like a ton of bricks, and I found it on accident. I started to go with an old favorite, but this popped out and caught my eye instead. I've been a fan of the Duplass brother's since way back in The Puffy Chair, mumblecore days. They've really managed to do indie movies the right way all this time, and now their films are all grown up.
Mark Duplass not only plays one of the only two characters (across from Sarah Paulson) but he also wrote and produced this film. Paulson herself is the powerhouse she always is, of course. With this film, Mark really continues to prove that he's genuinely a master at not only writing, but acting with, genuine emotion and really pulling you into a thoughtful, heart-wrenching experience.
Blue Jay is one of the most striking indie films I've seen in awhile. It was filmed sequentially over just 7 days. Instead of using a traditional camera set up, it's the first film shot entirely on Canon's high ISO ME2OF-SH, developed for military and security use. It looks like a black cube and is designed to capture HD-quality video in near-darkness. There's no built in power source or built in recording. The low light ability also allowed them the benefit of not having to use stage lights, and some scenes were filmed with as little light as LED's, lamps and other practical lighting, or even Christmas lights. The camera was also capable of inexpensively allowing them to get full framed close ups, without dealing with all the equipment and cost that would normally accompany that.
In my opinion, this camera choice made Blue Jay a very unique stand out, especially compared to other recent indie films that are both louder and busier. It created a very rich, beautiful black and white that's been minimally processed after the fact.
The film is peppered with beautiful shots, and the way Lehmann utilized the camera, you're pulled in close with Paulson and Duplass, it makes it very intimate and keeps you involved. There's not a boring moment, and you consistently feel as if you're right there.
The absolute kicker for me, that completely left me stunned? That was reading after the fact that not only was this movie improvised, but it was Sarah Paulson's first time doing improv. There was no script. They were given a summary of the movie and their characters, and the rest was total improvisation. After reading interviews, many scenes had a few different tales, until they became comfortable enough with what they were going for to convey it the best way possible. In some instances, that meant parsing it down, such as when they're outside looking at the stars and they're saying very little but communicating so much.
All of these things work together to make this film an absolute treasure to watch. I don't like going into the plot, especially because there's major spoilers if I were to do so. But suffice it to say that it's a rollercoaster. At first you're feeling kind of awkward along with the characters. Some time goes by and you feel them sinking into a comfortable space of nostalgia and taking you with them. A bit later and you're grinning ear to ear along as they are. Then suddenly, multiple times, there must have been dust kicked up in the room you're in, cause you're crying. The plot is just a whole ass punch in the gut, for many reasons at different times, but it's such a good hurt.
Mark Duplass not only plays one of the only two characters (across from Sarah Paulson) but he also wrote and produced this film. Paulson herself is the powerhouse she always is, of course. With this film, Mark really continues to prove that he's genuinely a master at not only writing, but acting with, genuine emotion and really pulling you into a thoughtful, heart-wrenching experience.
Blue Jay is one of the most striking indie films I've seen in awhile. It was filmed sequentially over just 7 days. Instead of using a traditional camera set up, it's the first film shot entirely on Canon's high ISO ME2OF-SH, developed for military and security use. It looks like a black cube and is designed to capture HD-quality video in near-darkness. There's no built in power source or built in recording. The low light ability also allowed them the benefit of not having to use stage lights, and some scenes were filmed with as little light as LED's, lamps and other practical lighting, or even Christmas lights. The camera was also capable of inexpensively allowing them to get full framed close ups, without dealing with all the equipment and cost that would normally accompany that.
In my opinion, this camera choice made Blue Jay a very unique stand out, especially compared to other recent indie films that are both louder and busier. It created a very rich, beautiful black and white that's been minimally processed after the fact.
The film is peppered with beautiful shots, and the way Lehmann utilized the camera, you're pulled in close with Paulson and Duplass, it makes it very intimate and keeps you involved. There's not a boring moment, and you consistently feel as if you're right there.
The absolute kicker for me, that completely left me stunned? That was reading after the fact that not only was this movie improvised, but it was Sarah Paulson's first time doing improv. There was no script. They were given a summary of the movie and their characters, and the rest was total improvisation. After reading interviews, many scenes had a few different tales, until they became comfortable enough with what they were going for to convey it the best way possible. In some instances, that meant parsing it down, such as when they're outside looking at the stars and they're saying very little but communicating so much.
All of these things work together to make this film an absolute treasure to watch. I don't like going into the plot, especially because there's major spoilers if I were to do so. But suffice it to say that it's a rollercoaster. At first you're feeling kind of awkward along with the characters. Some time goes by and you feel them sinking into a comfortable space of nostalgia and taking you with them. A bit later and you're grinning ear to ear along as they are. Then suddenly, multiple times, there must have been dust kicked up in the room you're in, cause you're crying. The plot is just a whole ass punch in the gut, for many reasons at different times, but it's such a good hurt.